New action group aims to brighten up Winslow and make town more attractive to visitors

A new group in Winslow is setting out to make the town a more colourful and interesting place to live, visit or run a business.

The Winslow Action Group is a small non-political group that’s looking at ways residents can work with local organisations to make Winslow a place they can be proud of.

Group member Jeff Crisp said: “I have always been a great admirer of Stony Stratford, both for how the town is decorated in the summer and at Christmas, and how the number of public events added a vibrancy to the town.

“We could see that that were a large number of organisations in Winslow carrying a wide range of fantastic activities but, unless you were part of a particular group or read the parish magazine from cover to cover, there was generally little awareness of what was going on.”

At the group’s request, Winslow Town Council has revived the What’s On page on the council website and town councillor Roger Slevin is encouraging local organisations to upload their events.

The group has also set up a WhatsApp group for Winslow retailers, where they can swap ideas on how to make the town more interesting and inviting for shoppers.

To celebrate the coronation, more than 40 Union flags now line the High Street and the Market Square and more than 200 coronation signs have been distributed to decorate shop windows – all paid for by businesses and public donations.

The group hopes the flagpole holders will be used for future events, and the Winslow Anglo French Twinning Association (WAFTA) is planning to alternate the Union flags with the tricolour to welcome their friends from Cours in France.

With advice from the Stony Stratford Business Association, Winslow Action Group plans to follow Stony’s example with lit Christmas trees along the length of the High Street and in the Market Square from late November.

Before that, the group is encouraging all of the town’s retailers to brighten their shopfronts with hanging baskets for the summer and is looking for volunteers to help with this and future projects.

A Facebook Page is being set up, but in the meantime call Jeff on 07720 299407 with any questions or offers of help.